20th Jul 17

Introduction to Multivariate Statistics for research - Stephen Prendergast

This course will focus on three of the most common multivariate methods to provide a base understanding of the purpose and use of multivariate statistics.

It will cover:
• Regression analysis – to explain what drives key outcomes of interest
• Factor analysis – to explain how survey measures ladder up to higher concepts
• Correspondence analysis – to show how perceptions or measures relate to each other in a “map form” to simplify understanding.

The course will focus on typical market and social research examples and cases, allowing participants to learn the principles in a practical way, and importantly, to learn when to apply these methods.
Attendees are expected to already have an understanding of basic statistics such as means, correlation and statistical testing.

Stephen Prendergast

Stephen has 30 years experience in market research and management consulting. In 2004 he founded Prescience Research, a Melbourne based quantitative research and modelling consultancy. He consults to some of Australia’s largest organisations. Prior to that he worked with Open Mind, Wallis Consulting Group, DBM, Millward Brown, and Sutherland Smith. Earlier on he was a management consultant with KPMG and a paint development scientist with Dulux Australia.

Stephen is well known for his thoughtful use of mathematical and statistical models as a bridge to better and confident decision making. He has applied these methods in a variety of fields including customer service and loyalty studies, advertising response, brand health tracking and time series analysis, customer segmentation, data mining and demand estimation methods such as choice modelling, conjoint analysis and simulated test markets.
Stephen has also lectured at Monash University on marketing models and market research and written articles on statistics and marketing support software for MacNews.

Stephen has an honours degree in Applied Science from University of Melbourne, a marketing degree from Monash University, and is a Qualified Practising Market Researcher (QPMR). He has received post-graduate training in choice modelling, marketing models, general linear models and structural equation modelling.